Unclaimed items are sold, donated when owner isn’t found

Published 4:16 pm, Friday, January 17, 2014

Items recovered from burglaries and thefts are available for the public to reclaim Thursday. Tim Fischer\Reporter-Telegram

Items recovered from burglaries and thefts are available for the public to reclaim Thursday. Tim Fischer\Reporter-Telegram

Photo: Tim Fischer

Image 2 of 3

Items recovered from burglaries and thefts are available for the public to reclaim Thursday. Tim Fischer\Reporter-Telegram

Items recovered from burglaries and thefts are available for the public to reclaim Thursday. Tim Fischer\Reporter-Telegram

Photo: Tim Fischer

Image 3 of 3

Items recovered from burglaries and thefts are available for the public to reclaim Thursday. Tim Fischer\Reporter-Telegram

Items recovered from burglaries and thefts are available for the public to reclaim Thursday. Tim Fischer\Reporter-Telegram

Photo: Tim Fischer

Unclaimed items are sold, donated when owner isn’t found

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Only a handful of residents stopped by the police department’s stolen property viewing Thursday morning when a tall cowboy sauntered in and asked about an old military machete.

The blade couldn’t be found among the recovered tools, coolers, chainsaws, leaf blowers, smartphones, watches, purses, shoes, video games, kitchen fryers and even an oven, but at least one resident was reunited with a circular saw that morning.

The Midland Police Department holds two to three viewings a year to find the rightful owners of stolen property. The latest batch came from items taken between late summer and early fall, according to MPD Sgt. Darin Clements.

“Our evidence room is getting full,” he said, noting property is sold at city auctions if it can’t be returned. “We wanted to take one last chance to get property back to their rightful owners.”

Unclaimed items are an unfortunate byproduct of a consumer society — forgetful guests leave phone chargers at hotels, pressed pants are deserted at dry cleaners and airlines lose luggage in the hustle and bustle of travel.

What happens to these lost and found items?

Lost

If Southwest Airlines — one of three companies to offer flights from Midland International Airport — can’t find owners of unclaimed luggage, it’s sent to the Central Baggage Services warehouse in Dallas after five days, according to Robert Lehr, warehouse manager.

Three to four months later, if an owner still cannot be found, items are donated to a nonprofit organization, Lehr said via email.

Southwest is liable up to $3,400 for lost, delayed or damaged bags, and a loss of value must be proven, according to its website. That’s true for most airlines, including United and American Eagle, which also operate out of the Midland airport.

An American Airlines media spokesperson said unclaimed baggage from American Eagle flights is eventually sold to salvage. It might end up at the Unclaimed Baggage Center in Scottsboro, Ala., a resell shop where buyers can benefit from the misfortune of unlucky travelers.

Still, some airlines offer additional insurance for luggage. American insures up to $5,000 worth of items at a rate of $2 per $100 worth of stuff, according to its website.

The business of betting on lost stuff can pay out. Traveler’s insurance policies are especially geared toward the risk of losing belongings while on the go.

State Farm doesn’t offer these types of polices, but people can cover some property under their homeowner’s insurance, said Patti Kelly, company spokeswoman. A State Farm personal articles policy comes into play for expensive items such as computers or wedding rings, and they cover 100 percent of the value, she said.

Found

Recovered items could end up on the auction block or donation pile, depending on who finds it.

A new EZ Rider transfer station opened this week to give residents an easier way of accessing the city’s six bus routes, but passengers don’t always arrive at their final destinations with all of their belongings

Bus drivers often find forgotten purses and cellphones, said Jerry Courtney, who works with the human resources department at the Midland Odessa Urban Transit District.

“(Passengers) don’t usually realize they lost something until after they got off the bus,” said Courtney, noting someone once left a violin.

Drivers typically report the lost item to their supervisors. If a meeting with the passenger cannot be arranged, the driver brings it back to EZ Rider’s maintenance shop to be claimed at a later date, Courtney said.

Texas law states that hotels are not liable for left-behind belongings, but the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel on Wall Street tries to reunite guests with lost items.

“Our policy is, if we have it, we’d be more than happy to send it back,” said J.R. Napoles, guest relations manager.

But stuff that’s not claimed in nine months is donated to the Salvation Army, he said.

Not all businesses hold onto forgotten items for that long. Clothing left at the Superwash Coin Laundry on West Illinois Avenue is kept for a week before being donated to the local battered women’s shelter or other nonprofit, said manager Jennifer Jett.

“I just can’t believe they don’t come back to look for it,” Jett said.